Incandescent light bulb was patented by Thomas Edison in 1880. The patent number is 223898. Idea: In a drawing a light bulb above someone’s head indicates the person has developed a new idea. Children could draw light bulbs. They could surround the light bulbs with ideas of their own for new inventions. They could see his patent at: Light Bulb Patent.
National Inventors’ Day is today! In 1983 President Ronald Reagan declared February 11 to be National Inventors’ Day, honoring Thomas Edison who was born on this day in 1847. The day recognizes all inventors and encourages everyone to try out new ideas. Children could list all the inventors they can think of and perhaps rank them in order of importance. They could research famous people who were also inventors. For example, Abraham Lincoln is the only president who received a patent. They could also learn more about creating an invention by reading Kids Inventing! A Handbook for Young Inventors by Susan Casey.
Gramophone
Gramophone, later called the phonograph, was patented by Thomas Edison in 1878. He received patent number 200,521. Older children could learn more about the history of sound recording at: Gramophone.
Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison presented an incandescent lamp demonstration in 1879. The bulb lasted 13.5 hours and used electricity he had generated.
Phonograph was invented in 1877 by Thomas Edison. The first phonograph certainly differs from today’s music options. Children could view a timeline of audio recordings at: Timeline. They could draw the different stages of development and then predict what the next stage will be.